First case in Texas of the most contagious variant of coronavirus in Harris County

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The first known case of a new, more contagious coronavirus strain was reported in Texas, in an adult male resident of Harris County who had no travel history, according to the state health department and county judge Lina. Hidalgo.

The variant known as B.1.1.7 was first identified in the United Kingdom, where it spread quickly, and cases have been found in several states in the USA, including California and Colorado. It does not cause a more serious disease, and vaccines “must be effective against it,” said the health services department, citing existing scientific evidence.

As the man did not travel, the strain is likely to be circulating in Harris County or Texas, local health and health officials said on Thursday – with Hidalgo saying he didn’t want to “pretend … that’s something we can contain “.

The man is between 30 and 40 years old and is a native of southwest Harris County. He must remain isolated until he receives authorization from health officials, who are tracking his contacts and directing people possibly exposed to quarantine, Hidalgo told a news conference on Thursday.

The variant has the potential to “throw fuel for airplanes in an already dangerous situation,” she said. “We are learning about this variant, about this new strain, but what we do know is that it is about 70% more contagious”.

The announcement comes at a time when the Harris County region had to reduce its business capacity after having a large number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus for several days. New confirmed infections and hospitalizations in the state are at record levels, although the state is also testing more people. Airline passengers traveling from the UK to the US must now test negative for the virus before leaving.

The case is being investigated by Harris County Public Health and the state health services department, whose officials said the strain is believed to be responsible for a small part of current coronavirus infections in the state and country.

“Genetic variations are the norm among viruses and it is not surprising that they got here because of how quickly they spread,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner in the state’s health services department. prevention practices that we know work: masks whenever you are close to people you don’t live with, social distance and personal and environmental hygiene. “